Labour Leader Vote 2015 (Say No to Andy Burnham)

I think I will be voting for Liz Kendall... she promises that equality will be at the heart of the Labour party. I would love to see the first female Labour leader and Labour Prime Minister. 
However here is why I am not and urge people to NOT vote for Andy Burnham: 

• He's apparently pro gay marriage, but was absent for 2002 gay adoption vote

• He is against IVF for lesbian couples, because he believes all children need a 'father figure' and a male and a female role model (seriously Andy, it's 2015, stop spouting middle age rubbish! Take a look at this post I wrote a while back on lesbian parents...)

• He is a strong Catholic (the only one of the four Labour candidates to have religious faith, whilst there is nothing wrong with that it is clear that he lets his religious beliefs affect moral and equality beliefs)

If the above doesn't make him sound like he is perhaps in the WRONG party and should slide more to the right and maybe join the Tories on their train to Destination Capitalist Bullshit then I don't know what does!

I certainly am not voting for Andy Burnham! And I urge you to SAY NO to him as well.

Reply From Caroline Dinenage (And Her Colleague!)

So...Caroline Dinenage emailed me back after I sent her an open letter. This was her response:

Dear Tori,

Thank you for writing to me about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB&T) equality and marriage of same-sex couples.

Let me reassure you that I fully support LGB&T equality and will work hard to continue the Government’s strong track record of tackling inequalities. 

I recognise that the way in which I voted on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill has raised some concerns that I do not support equality or equal marriage. 

I want to make clear that my vote on this issue was one over which I deliberated very carefully.  As you will know, I inherited a constituency bruised by the expenses scandal meaning that many of my constituents had lost faith in MPs.  I was therefore conscious of the need to be directly accountable to them.  I received correspondence requesting me to vote against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at a ratio of 100:1 in comparison to those in favour.  I therefore made the difficult decision to vote against the Bill – and my conscience – and instead represent the views of the many hundreds of constituents who had contacted me.  

Marriage of same-sex couples is now law, and I fully support this as an important step forward in the rights of LGB&T people. 

I hope I will be judged on my record in office rather than the past.  I am honoured to have been appointed as Minister for Equalities and look forward to building on the Government’s excellent track record in tackling inequalities and discrimination.  The UK has just been named the most progressive country in Europe for LGB&T rights for the fifth year running, which is a testament to the achievements that have been made.  But I recognise there is no room for complacency and I am committed to taking further action to support LGB&T equality, in particular, continuing the Government’s work on tackling homophobic bullying in schools and supporting LGB&T rights around the world.

I look forward to working with LGB&T organisations to understand the challenges that remain and to discuss this Government’s priorities for this Parliament.  Please be assured that I am absolutely committed to tackling discrimination in all its forms and to creating a fairer society for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

I hope this information is reassuring and thank you again for taking the time to write to me.

Kind regards

Caroline

And this was her colleague's response:

Dear Tori,

Thank you for your email of 13 May to Caroline Dinenage MP, Minister for
Women and Equalities and Family Justice, about lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGB&T) equality and marriage of same-sex couples.

I have been asked to reply on the Minister’s behalf.

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to write to set out your concerns. Let
me reassure you that the Government fully supports LGB&T equality. It
has a strong track record of tackling inequalities and remains committed
to doing so. The UK has just been named the most progressive country
in Europe for LGB&T rights for the fifth year running, which is a testament
to the achievements that have been made.

The debate about marriage of same-sex couples was one about which
many MPs received a great deal of representations from their
constituents and which they will each have considered carefully before
voting on the legislation. The Minister received correspondence
requesting her to vote against the Bill at a ratio of 100:1 in comparison to
those in favour. She therefore made the difficult decision to vote against
the Bill, and represent the views of many of her constituents. As you
know, the Bill was passed by Parliament and is now law, and the Minister
fully supports this.

Despite the progress that has been made in advancing LGB&T equality,
the Minister recognises there is no room for complacency. She is
committed to taking further action to support LGB&T equality, in
particular, continuing the Government’s work on tackling homophobic
bullying in schools and supporting LGB&T rights around the world.

The Minister looks forward to working with LGB&T organisations to
understand the challenges that remain and to discuss this Government’s
priorities for this Parliament. Please be assured that the Minister is
absolutely committed to tackling discrimination in all its forms and to
creating a fairer society for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or
gender identity.

Yours sincerely

Alan Chapman

Government Equalities Office

Open Letter to Caroline Dinenage

Dear Caroline,

I am writing in regards to the fact that you have been elected to become Equalities Minister.

Firstly I would like to offer my congratulations.

However, I am rather dismayed as to why you have been appointed Equalities Minister considering you voted against same-sex marriage in July 2013. You (and I quote) said that the "state has no right to intervene in such matters" and to ''redefine the meaning of marriage'' and that banning same sex marriage would “take nothing away from their (gay couples') relationships”.  

You also said that marriage should be ''between one man and one woman'' and that you were "concerned that in the future, teachers may be forced to teach civil partnership and gay marriage whether it’s in their religious belief to do so or not. It seems that in some ways we’re marginalising some people’s religious freedom in favour of sexual freedom.”

I find it hard to believe that you can want equality for everyone, including gay people, after the statements you have made. Same-sex marriage has been legalised anyway but I, as a gay woman myself, feel uncomfortable that you are going to be in charge of equality policies considering you seem so very homophobic. 

In regards to you thinking it unfair that religious teachers would have to teach about civil partnerships and gay marriage, I would say that 'religious freedom' is a choice. People are not born Christian, Catholic, Muslim or Atheist but they are born gay. Being gay is not having 'sexual freedom', it is being yourself, just like being straight is not 'sexual freedom'. I think that religious teachers should have to teach about gay marriage whether they like it or not because if they really don't like gay marriage that much, well they don't have to have one do they?!

I find it so ironic that you have now tweeted "I want to be clear - I support equal marriage & I'm fully committed to advancing the cause of LGBT equality moving forward". You have to say this now because you are Equalities Minister and we can't have a homophobic Equalities Minister can we? Oh wait, we do! 

It suits you fine to stand up and say that you support equal marriage now that you have this new title, but two years ago when gay people's futures and happiness was in your, and many other's hands, you chose to let them down and vote against same-sex marriage.

I would most appreciate if you could find the time to reply to this email as I am most interested in what you have to say.

Thank you and kind regards,

Tori Munro

(English Student at Chichester University, gay rights campaigner and writer) 

General Election 2015 Conspiracy

So I believe that the General Election 2015 was rigged. Surely that many people could NOT have voted Conservative. It doesn't make sense. Do people really know what they are letting themselves in for?! Already, within a few days of having a Tory government there is talk of scrapping the Human Rights Act 1998 and replacing it with the 'British Bill of Rights' which sounds 1. Not half as good as it does not have the word 'human' in it, so are we going to be treated as animals rather than humans? and 2. Racist. 'British' bill of rights - sounds suspiciously racist to me! The new Conservative Ministers are also sounding absolutely amazing with:

• The new Tory Disabilities Minister Justin Tomlinson who voted against protecting disabled child benefits.
• The new Tory Equalities Minister Caroline Dinenage who voted against gay marriage.
• The new Tory Justice Minister Michael Gove (previously Education Minister) who supports hanging.
• The Tory Education Minister has stayed as Nicky Morgan which teachers aren't happy about.

So, so far Mr Cameron is doing very well.

Anyway back to the Conspiracy. This General Election was the first time I have voted in a General Election (or any election) due to now being old enough and I was very surprised, shocked and dismayed to see that the ballot papers were given out with pencils rather than pens to fill out. I smelt a rat. A huge, smelly, stinking rat. Why were we given pencils? Pencil marking can easily be rubbed out and replaced with (obviously) a cross in the terrible Tory box.

I used my girlfriend's pen so I felt better about my own vote (if it was even counted as it was in pen) but what about everyone else's'?

I've heard reasons why the ballot papers are given out with pencils, such as:

• It costs less to provide pencils rather than pens
• Pens run out but pencils don't (well, eventually they do!)
• Pen marking can run in wet weather but pencil won't
• It doesn't matter if they are marked in pencil as the paper is thin so if someone were to rub out the marking it would still be visible.....really?! (The paper wasn't THAT thin!)
• Don't worry - there are people keeping watch and making sure it all stays legal/unrigged. Like politics is all legal and fair. No, it is totally corrupt!

So I will end on the note that I believe there is some kind of Tory Conspiracy and the election was rigged and we are under rule of a deceitful government. Fun times! 

Well Done (8th May Dismay)

Well done to everyone who voted Conservative. I hope none of you want to go to university, are all in 100% good health and won't need the NHS which will soon die an ugly death, are not mentally ill, disabled, poor or young. Now the privileged upper class loaded bastards can all enjoy their comfy lives whilst the working class people suffer, young people's futures are doomed and anyone who isn't lucky enough to have a rich mummy and daddy or overflowing bank account to bail them out watches their life crumble into pieces. Well done Britain, so fucking proud!

Here are 62 reasons for not voting for the Tories

• 1.Cutting front line Social Workers despite the demand increasing by service users

• 2.Tuition fees trebled.

• 3.Ema scrapped.

• 4.Zero hours contracts.

• 5.More people in part time employment.

• 6.Suicide rates up.

• 7.Benefit sanctions targets meaning 90,000 people a month are sanctioned for little or no reason.

• 8.A and E in crisis.

• 9.Longer waiting times to see GP.

• 10.Selling off Royal Mail.

• 11.Stagnant wages.

• 12.Closures to police stations.

• 13.Closures of fire stations.

• 14.Increasing the national debt.

• 15.Creating more new debt in 5 years than labour created in 13.

• 16.Increasing vat.

• 17.Scrapping meaningful statistics collection.

• 18.Cutting university funding by 80%

• 19.Cuts in public transport grants, 20% rise in rail and bus fares.

• 20.Making councils in poorer areas cut more than councils in wealthier areas.

• 21.Housing benefit cuts as rents continue to rise.

• 22.Reneging on curbing bankers bonuses.

• 23.Loss of 'AAA' credit rating.

• 24.Double dip recession.

• 25.Treasury lieing about what income tax is spent on.

• 26.Universal credit mess, this has cost the taxpayer over 200million.

• 27. The unlawful Workfare program.

• 28.The health and social care act, a top down reorganisation of the NHS.

• 29.Trying to scrap our human rights.

• 30.Atos.

• 31.Bedroom tax.

• 32.Cuts to social care.

• 33.Cuts to library services.

• 34.Cuts to the disabled students allowance.

• 35.Cuts to local council disability transport.

• 36.Changing DLA to PIP meaning thousands of people are no longer eligible. (Disabled people make up 10% of the population but face 25% of cuts).

• 37.The IFS says the average household has lost £1,127 a year thanks to coalition policies.

• 38.The IFS also say that the biggest group to loose out are single jobless parents.

• 39.Child poverty increased by 13% (after labour cut it by 50%).

• 40.Removing legal aid.

• 41.Privatising NHS direct.

• 42.Tax avoidance up by 13% according to HMRC.

• 43.Homelessness up 26% (despite labour cutting it by 41%).

• 44.Closure of sure start centres.

• 45.30% increase in childcare costs.

• 46.Fracking

• 47.Privatisation of the East cost mainline.

• 48.Stamp price hike by 50% since 2010.

• 49.Closure of 410+ schools.

• 50.Cutting the funding for connexions careers advice service for young people.

• 51.Overcrowded classrooms have trebled since 2010.

• 52.The Tories have presided over the closing or downgrading of 33% of NHS walk in centres, 66% of A and E/maternity wards and 16% of A and E's.

• 53.477 fewer GPs surgeries.

• 54. Mental health provision has been cut by 25%.

• 55.Closure of prisons

• 56.The number of millionaire bankers has climbed by 11%

• 57. 1,368 people died after work capability assessments wrongly found them fit to work.

• 58.Withdrawal of the subsidy for remploy that saw the closure of 34 remploy factories (that employed disabled people).

• 59.Water charges up 20% since 2010.

• 60.Raising the retirement age.

• 61.David Cameron decided to "cut the green crap" from policies.

• 62.The uk statistics authority has repeatedly warned the Tories to stop lying over immigration, unemployment, benefits cap, debt and NHS spending.

Why I'm Voting For The Labour Party

Because I believe in a fair and equal society. Because I believe in making the future safe for our country and because the young people of our generation deserve a happy and stable future. The Conservatives just cut down everything they could and if they stay in power for another 5 years then I believe we will no doubt lose our NHS as we know it. It has already leaked out that the Lib Dems and Conservatives would increase higher education tuition fees further, I don't understand how £9000 a year isn't enough! Higher education should be free or at least realistically affordable. I am going to be in about £40,000 in debt after my degree....how is this fair? I just wanted to go to university to build myself a more promising future. Most of my generation will never be able to own a house due to the extortionate prices. We have been set up to fail. Lib Dem and Conservatives have also admitted they will make cuts to welfare for the sick, young, poor and disabled. So that's everyone but the privileged few again. Labour created the NHS and they created the minimum wage which they want to increase. They will scrap zero hour contracts. Vote for a fair and equal society, vote for Labour. If you think your vote won't count and is just one more vote and doesn't really add up, think again, yours could be the one vote that determines whether we have a Tory or Labour government for the next five years. If you are women considering whether to vote or not, remember women died for your vote! You owe it to them to do so. Don't be lazy and shrug off politics and say "They're all the same, they all promise and never live up to their promises" but it is about voting for the lesser of the evils if you think of it in that way. Vote for Britain's equal and successful future, for our NHS, which let's face it - most people use it at some point in their lives, even the privileged few. Vote for the hope of the future.....vote for Labour.

The 15 Daily Struggles of an English Student

The 15 Daily Struggles of an English Student

BY ELLA GRIFFITHS IN STUDENT LIFE  | PUBLISHED ON  4 FEBRUARY, 2014

Think English students have it easy? Think again.

The 15 struggles we face on a daily basis:

 1. Doing any kind of maths whatsoever when you spend your life reading and writing words.

Even the basics are a struggle. How do you calculate a percentage again?

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2. Being under the word count. Or over it. God help you.

There is no pain worse than being up at 3am trying to cut down 2100 words to 2000.

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3. People asking what you’re going to do with an English degree after uni.

Ummm, teaching? Maybe?

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4. Alternatively, people assuming you don’t know what you want to do with your life just because you’re doing English.

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5. Trying to reference ANYTHING correctly.

Not only is it impossible, but it also adds another hour or so onto the end of your essay marathon.

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6. Wishing you could read a book OF YOUR CHOOSING. FOR FUN.

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7. Hoping you’ll be as successful as Stephen Fry, who also did an English degree. YOU CAN DREAM.

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8. Constantly having to refrain from correcting people’s grammar to avoid being universally hated.

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9. Wishing that your favourite fictional characters existed in real life.

Where’s my Mr Darcy? WHY DON’T I KNOW ANYONE LIKE KATNISS EVERDEEN?

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10. Basically LIVING in the hellhole that is the library.

You may as well keep a spare set of clothes and/or toothbrush there given the amount of time you’re trapped within its walls.

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11. Laughing by yourself at English jokes well into the night instead of finishing your dissertation.

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LOL

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12. Having to turn down invites because the stack of books on your bedside table has reached dangerous heights.

You’re in serious danger of not being able to finish those books in the next thousand years.

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13. Or else, having to deal with the fact that you can’t see your floor anymore.

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14. Spending stupid amounts of time waiting for Amazon deliveries.

You must be responsible for at least three quarters of their business.

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15. And finally, the daily struggle to remind yourself that despite all this, you really do love your degree. Most of the time.

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Our life is harder than yours.

57 things all English Lit students know to be true

The Norton Anthology will be the death of me!

 

• Wednesday 26 February 2014
• posted by Maggy van Eijk
•  Comments

So, you've chosen to study English Literature. Go you! The best people have gone down the same path - Stephen Fry, James Franco, Christopher Nolan and a bunch of awesome people at the Student Beans HQ.

There are critics who wonder what on earth you're going to do with an English degree, apart from teach and read chunky books really fast. Whatever, English students only have about 3 seminars a week - beat that mathematicians!

In praise of English students everywhere we've compiled a list of 57 things only you guys will understand. Yes, it's quite a long list but you've read The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (or at least the SparkNotes), you'll be fine.

• Check out Refreshers Wall 2014 - huge brands, unmissable discounts, and all the student-friendly advice you could ask for.

1. Once you were done with school, you were pretty thrilled to never have to deal with quadratic equations, the periodic table or photosynthesis again. Yay!

2. In your dream world, being a literature student involves a lot of sitting under trees, reading the classics and feeling inspired all the time.

3. But in reality it mainly feels like you're lugging a ton of bricks everywhere you go. Bloody Norton Anthology.

4. Besides, every poem you need to read is online anyway.

5. Everything you need in order to talk for 5 minutes can be gleaned from chapter summaries and the 'Personal Life' section of the author's Wikipedia.

6. Films can be "texts" too. So watching a load of America high-school Shakespeare adaptations is studying, right? Right!

7. Getting the book out of the library is basically the same as reading it.

8. Bending and creasing the spine of your book will make everyone in the seminar think you've read it.

9. As long as you know one specific and intelligent point about a book, you'll be fine.

10. Although, you will experience one of the worst silences known to man - THE SEMINAR SILENCE. Omg, can someone talk? Can someone just say SOMETHING?

11. Cue flicking through your book, pretending to find a particular passage in order to avoid awkward eye contact with your tutor.

YOU CAN'T PICK ON ME I'M READING!

12. Some tutors will be so grateful when you speak up that you'll get a 10% grading boost even if you if you just ramble on about your experiences with self-service checkouts with the odd mention of gender politics or post-modernity.

13. Plus, you have an irrational hatred for that person in your seminar who actually reads the books every week. Yeah yeah yeah we get it you don't have a life.

14. Being an English Lit student does turn you into a bit of a book snob. Mainly because you have no time to read 50 Shades when you're trying to get to grips with Paradise Lost (the sex is way riskier FYI).

15. Of course you still harbour a love for Harry Potter, which you have to hide from fellow book snob course mates.

16. Sometime during your degree you will fall in love with a fictional character. Ah, Mr Darcy.

17. However, loving reading definitely doesn't translate into loving everything on the reading list.

18. You realise 'I like reading' might not have been the best logic on which to base a pretty large life decision.

19. Sometimes you think it might have been easier to get a job if you'd gone with Media Studies.

20. You have a vague recollection of 'reading for fun' - and that it was good.

21. You have to overcome your squeamishness about writing in/highlighting/folding and otherwise destroying novels.

22. Your books look like this...

23. You become a pro at skim-reading.

24. Every essay conclusion can be structured in the following format: "Some theories suggest X, other imply Y, I'm only an undergraduate so can we agree that both are right?"

25. After tutors nitpick the grammar in your essays you become a bit of a grammar picker yourself.

26. You judge dating profiles if they exhibit any typos.

27. Ditto if their list of favourite books is a bit weak. The Da Vinci Code, FHM or Guinness World Records just don't cut it.

28. If someone says "I don't read" it's a bit of a deal breaker.

29. If someone thinks your favourite book is rubbish you vow to never be their friend again.

30. You dominate at Words with Friends and Ruzzle.

31. Your over-analytical literary brain causes you to study every minor situation in unnecessary depth.

32. Your friends always call on you to analyse text messages and Facebook statuses. I got a poke BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

33. The fear of plagiarism haunts you every night. Did I make that up? Did I get that from Wiki? Can I even trust my own mind?

34. Long sentence overloads in theory books threaten to turn your brain into mush.

35. As do bibliographies. Wait, do I underline the title? Italicise it? Add a full-stop? Cover it in pixie dust?

36. Then again, no one knows how to reference properly.

37. True fact: if you open your essay with Derrida you can basically justify anything.

38. You often get asked what you're planning on doing with your degree.

"Oh, you'll be a teacher right?"

39. Your friends who take business studies, accountancy and physics fear you'll end up being a bum.

40. However, one of the most valuable workplace skills you will learn will be the ability to convincingly argue whatever conclusions you want regardless of source material.

41. When you're really stuck for words in an essay you'll just make one up. "His first stanza is non-sequiteurial". BOOM.

42. Moving your book collection from your old accommodation to your new one is a pain. How do I have so many books?

43. Your biceps are toned thanks to carrying around The Complete Works of Wiliam Shakespeare.

44. You understand jokes like this...

45. This tickles you too...

46. While the rugby players down pints at the SU you join the EnglishSoc at the old man’s pub down the road.

47. Sometimes, really late at night you feel inspired to write poetry and then regret it in the morning. You basically just had a one night stand with iambic pentameter.

48. You have a favourite literary movement.

49. And you have bit of a crush on the tutor that specialises in it. This makes one on one tutorials a tad awkward.

50. Your friends who don't study English Literature make you feel bad for only having a few seminars a week.

51. To you, anything more than 6 hours of uni seems like a breach of your human rights.

52. Okay fine, so you don't have as many seminars BUT YOU'RE EXPECTED TO READ ENTIRE BOOKS IN A MATTER OF DAYS.

53. Plus, you're always happy to help when it comes to proofreading your housemate's essays, cover letters and letters to their nan.

54. English Literature teaches you that Mrs Dalloway was basically Twitter before Twitter.

55. George Eliot understood campus gossip better than anyone.

56. John Donne was a horny mofo.

57. And lastly, English students know that no matter what, no matter how little you've revised, the theme of gender will always, ALWAYS come up in the exam. Gotta love gender.